The present invention relates to an open-topped collection trough for arrangement under a machine tool to collect downwardly flowing coolant emitted from coolant spray nozzles of the machine tool which direct coolant jets onto cutting tools and adjacent surfaces.
A machine tool having the aforementioned features is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,616 (=EP 949,044). This machine tool, which is used to machine workpieces through chip removal, has a plurality of coolant spray nozzles. As workpieces are machined, both the coolant jets and the chips entrained by the coolant jets must be removed. To this end, a collection trough is disposed underneath the machine tool to collect the coolant and the chips. A transport mechanism located in or underneath the collection trough is adapted to feed coolant and chips to filtration equipment. To prevent coolant from escaping through gaps between the machine tool and the collection trough and to prevent chips from reaching the environment outside the collection trough, the collection trough has an inflatable seal, disposed between the top edges at the sides of the trough and the undersurfaces of the machine tool. To adapt the contours of the machine tool, the seal may be inflated to varying degrees.
A drawback of this system is that an auxiliary agent in the form of compressed air is required to inflate the seal and produce the sealing action. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure that the inflatable sealing member is not damaged during operation of a machine tool, which would allow the air to escape.